French Ambassador Marie Fontanel highlighted the core values of freedom, equality, and fraternity that bound the Philippines and France to have closer ties.
Bastille Day parade in Paris (Photo from AFP via France Diplomacy X page)
On Sunday night, July 14, at the celebration of the French National Day or Bastille Day, the envoy said that the French national motto of “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” “fits very well with what we have in common with the Philippines.”
“We definitely have those values in common, together with democracy and the rule of law,” she stressed.
Fontanel then cited the importance of the 2016 arbitral award that recognized Philippines’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the contested South China Sea, as well as the defending equal rights, promoting gender equality, and fighting all forms of discrimination.
Noting that she will almost celebrate the first year anniversary of arriving in the Philippines to begin her tour of duty, the ambassador shared that her mandate is “to contribute to strengthening the bilateral relationship between our two countries.”
Among the many projects and programs the embassy had done in the past year, Fontanel said that defense and security “was obviously the number one of my priorities.”
She recalled the “historic visit” of the first French Minister of Armed Forces coming to Manila to meet with Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., wherein “both ministers agreed to work on a strengthened defense cooperation and to create strategic intimacy between our armed forces.”
Since then, France has participated in its first Balikatan exercise, French destroyer la Bretagne made a port call, and the coming Pegase deployment of the French Air Force in Clark “for the very first time.”
The economic partnership between the Philippines and France “is also growing stronger” after the envoy signed the negotiation of the financial cooperation agreement with Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Rector last month.
She also expressed “satisfaction” regarding the resumption of negotiations for a free trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the Philippines. France is a member of EU.
“I cannot forget our strong ongoing cooperation on maritime issues. Being both maritime nations, we face the same challenges regarding the oceans: oceans pollution, maritime security, illegal fishing and challenges of the blue economy,” Fontanel said, adding that France is actively involved in the preparations for the United Nations Ocean Conference in June 2025.
Noting that it was the late former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and former French president François Hollande who urged the international community to gather in Paris for the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 21), the ambassador challenged both countries to prove that they “are still at the forefront of the battle for the protection of our planet and our oceans.”
The event was attended by Senate President Francis Escudero, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Jesus Domingo, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines Charles John Brown III, some senators, congressmen, and local chief executives.
For her toast, Fontanel, who wished Filipino athletes good luck for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games, wished President Marcos and the Filipinos good health.